Sacred Sites and Urban Networks

Anatolia, with its thousands of years of history, has been home to many places deemed "sacred" in different periods. The articles in this book include diachronic and synchronic studies that examine the sacred sites that have existed in Anatolia since the Middle Ages, within the context of various spatial, urban, and sociocultural dynamics. Each article presents unique research that investigates how human activity played a role in the creative process through which these impressive areas were transformed into sacred spaces. Viewed as a whole, the book reveals how these areas created a sacred network of complex economic, political, and social relationships through their allure and gravitational pull.

The foundation of this book was laid at the 11th International ANAMED Annual Symposium, titled “Sacred Spaces + Urban Networks,” held at Koç University’s Anatolian Civilizations Research Center (ANAMED) in December 2016. This symposium, which brought together leading researchers in the field and former fellows of the research center, aimed to explore the different layers of sacredness in Anatolia. This book primarily focuses on this goal, shedding light on the parallels and relationships between studies that focus on different examples.